GUYANA · SECURITY
Key Facts
- —The country Guyana, on South America’s north-east coast, is a fast-growing oil producer whose offshore fields are run by US energy company ExxonMobil.
- —What happened Deputy Police Commissioner Fazil Karimbaksh, who faces a rape complaint, has rejected through his lawyer an order to take 174 days of leave.
- —Who he is He heads the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU), the Guyana police unit for financial crime, which works with North American and Caribbean partners.
- —The order Police Commissioner Clifton Hicken wrote on 7 October that the leave should start on 8 November, ahead of retirement in April 2027.
- —The US link In July he denied social media reports that US authorities had detained and questioned him on arrival in the United States.
- —Still open No charge has been reported and he is presumed innocent. The commission that disciplines senior officers is not currently in place.
The head of the Guyana police unit for financial crime has refused an order to go on leave during a rape investigation. Deputy Commissioner Fazil Karimbaksh says through his lawyer that the police chief has no legal power to force him onto leave.
His unit investigates financial crime with foreign partners, including North American ones, in an oil boom led by a US company. Demerara Waves reported the challenge on Sunday 11 October, and Kaieteur News and Guyana Times on Monday 12 October.
What the Lawyer’s Letter Says
The letter is from attorney Rizwaun Mohamed to Clifton Hicken, the commissioner who heads the Guyana Police Force. Demerara Waves, Kaieteur News and Guyana Times quote it at length.
“You have no lawful authority to impose such leave upon my client,” the lawyer writes, as quoted by all three outlets. The letter says Mr Karimbaksh “remains ready and available to discharge his duties and comply with lawful directions.”
He does not consent to compulsory pre-retirement leave “on the basis presently advanced,” Kaieteur News reports. If the commissioner enforces it, the lawyer says, court proceedings will follow, including a request for urgent interim relief.
Why 174 Days of Leave Is in Dispute
Mr Hicken’s letter of 7 October says Mr Karimbaksh has 174 days of accumulated vacation leave before he retires in April 2027. It sets 8 November as the start date, the outlets report.
His lawyer says official records show 118 days, not 174, so the start date is disputed too. The force said on Thursday 8 October that he had been sent on leave pending the investigation, Demerara Waves and Guyana Times reported.
A Commission That Is Not in Place
Guyana’s Constitution gives the Police Service Commission, an independent body, disciplinary control over senior officers such as deputy commissioners. The lawyer cites Article 212 of the Constitution for that point, Kaieteur News reports.
That commission is currently not constituted; Guyana Times reports that its term expired in July. The letter argues that its powers do not pass to the commissioner while its seats are empty.
The Police Act gives the commissioner command and superintendence of the force, but the lawyer argues it must be read together with the Constitution. Home Affairs Minister Oneidge Walrond had said on 2 October that Mr Karimbaksh should be on administrative leave during the investigation.
The Rape Complaint and the US Link
A woman police inspector who worked at SOCU has accused Mr Karimbaksh of rape. The force’s statement of 8 October also cites threatening behaviour, Demerara Waves and Guyana Times report.
Unions and rights groups had called for an independent probe in early October.
No charge has been reported, and he is presumed innocent. The lawyer’s letter, as quoted by the outlets, deals with the leave order rather than the complaint itself.
In July, Mr Karimbaksh denied social media reports that US authorities had detained and questioned him on arrival in the United States. He said he was considering legal action against those behind the posts, Demerara Waves reported on 1 July.
He also said then that his job covers financial crime investigations with Caribbean, North American and other foreign jurisdictions. The government had earlier played down reports that several senior officers were questioned by US law enforcement, the outlet added.
What It Means for You
For US companies, banks and investors in Guyana’s oil economy, SOCU matters because it handles financial and organised crime cases. A drawn-out fight over who leads it could slow that work.
For visitors and the Guyanese diaspora in the United States, daily policing does not change. The dispute concerns one senior post and the rules for removing officers of that rank.
Readers new to the country can find the oil boom, its politics and its economy in a Guyana explainer.
What Is Not Known
It is not known whether Mr Hicken will enforce the leave from 8 November, or whether a court case has been filed. No public reply to the letter from the commissioner or the Home Affairs Ministry had been reported by Monday 12 October.
It is also unclear when a new Police Service Commission will be appointed. The outcome and timing of the rape investigation are not known either.
More: Guyana news in English, every day from The Rio Times.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Fazil Karimbaksh?
He is a deputy commissioner of the Guyana Police Force and head of its Special Organised Crime Unit. He is due to retire in April 2027.
What is SOCU?
The Special Organised Crime Unit is the Guyana police unit for financial and organised crime. Its head says it works with Caribbean and North American partners.
Has he been charged with a crime?
No charge has been reported as of 12 October 2026, and he is presumed innocent. A woman inspector’s rape complaint is under police investigation.
Why does this matter to Americans?
Guyana’s oil boom is led by US company ExxonMobil, and SOCU handles financial crime cases. Its leadership affects how financial crime is policed in a US-linked economy.
Sources: Demerara Waves, 11 October 2026; Kaieteur News, 12 October 2026; Guyana Times, 12 October 2026; News Source Guyana, 11 October 2026; Demerara Waves (police statement of 8 October), 8 October 2026; Demerara Waves, 1 July 2026.
Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief · Editorial standards · Report an error
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